Overview

"This updated and revised edition of David Joyner's entertaining ""hands-on"" tour of group theory and abstract algebra brings life, levity, and practicality to the topics through mathematical toys. Joyner uses permutation puzzles such as the Rubik's Cube and its variants, the 15 puzzle, the Rainbow Masterball, Merlin's Machine, the Pyraminx, and the Skewb to explain the basics of introductory algebra and group theory. Subjects covered include the Cayley graphs, symmetries, isomorphisms, wreath products, free groups, and finite fields of group theory, as well as algebraic matrices, combinatorics, and permutations. Featuring strategies for solving the puzzles and computations illustrated using the SAGE open-source computer algebra system, the second edition of Adventures in Group Theory is perfect for mathematics enthusiasts and for use as a supplementary textbook."

Full Product Details

Author:   David Joyner (U.S. Naval Academy)
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Edition:   second edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.544kg
ISBN:  

9780801890123

ISBN 10:   0801890128
Pages:   328
Publication Date:   23 February 2009
Recommended Age:   From 13
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Where to Begin... 1. Elementary, my dear Watson 2. 'And you do addition?' 3. Bell ringing and other permutations 4. A procession of permutation puzzles 5. What's commutative and purple? 6. Welcome to the machine 7. 'God's algorithm' and graphs 8. Symmetry and the Platonic solids 9. The illegal cube group 10. Words which move 11. The (legal) Rubik's Cube group 12. Squares, two-faces, and other subgroups 13. Other Rubik-like puzzle groups 14. Crossing the Rubicon 15. Some solution strategies 16. Coda: Questions and other directions Bibliography Index

Reviews

Adventures in Group Theory is a tour through the algebra of several 'permutation puzzles'... If you like puzzles, this is a somewhat fun book. If you like algebra, this is a fun book. If you like puzzles and algebra, this is a really fun book. - MAA Online Joyner has collated all the Rubik lore and integrated it with a self-contained introduction to group theory that equals or, more likely, exceeds what is available in typical dedicated elementary texts. - Choice Joyner does convey some of the excitement and adventure in picking up knowledge of group theory by trying to understand Rubik's Cube. Enthusiastic students will learn a lot of mathematics from this book. - American Scientist

Author Information

David Joyner is a professor of mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is coauthor of Applied Abstract Algebra, also published by Johns Hopkins, and editor of Coding Theory and Cryptography: From Enigma and Geheimschreiber to Quantum Theory.

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